Monday, June 22, 2009

I am sure many of you by now have seen the footage of the young girl, Neda who was shot to death over the weekend by Iranian authorities. She has become the face of this movement. As many Muslims say, she has become a martyr.

What is happening in Iran is no longer just about elections. Iranian people are fighting for their freedom, literally. They are willing to die for it and they are being killed for it in front of the world's eyes.

This weekend as I attended protest after protest, I had to stop and just absorb the scene. In this lifetime, I never thought I would see a pro-democracy rally for Iran much less be a part of it.

What is happening in Iran can change the face of the Islamic world forever. This is the first time that the people of a Muslim country, and an Islamic Republic at that, are calling fraud on their own government and demanding democracy.

I want to share with you this incredibly moving CNN interview with Iranian author Melody Moezzi because she puts the death of Neda in perspective. The actual footage of Neda laying in her own pool of blood as her father tries to save her is extremely graphic. It is your choice, but I urge you all to watch it because we must not close our eyes to what is happening in Iran. They need us and people all over the world to bear witness to their uprising. It is the least we can do.

We work with students on college campuses to effect change at the grassroots, national, and global levels. The Campus Program is built upon FMF’s philosophy that the most effective activism is informed activism--through study and action. Our program provides students with opportunities to learn about timely feminist issues, develop their leadership and organizing skills, and connect with the larger pro-choice and feminist movements.

The Feminist Campus blog is written by staff members, interns, and student affiliates of the Feminist Majority Foundation's campus program. The individual views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Feminist Majority Foundation.